Rescuers recovered four more bodies lost in a landslide in a Jixian County quarry in the northern Chinese municipality of Tianjin where as many as 11 people were believed to have been buried, local government sources said on Monday night.

By 10 PM, the number of confirmed dead had risen to five. Rescuers earlier found one body Monday morning.

Two of the five dead were excavated from buried work sheds on site. The others were found amongst the rubble.

According to rescue officials, there were probably six others under the debris, while another person still remained missing.

Eight work sheds were buried in the slide, rescue officials said.

Fire engines and ambulances remain on standby at the scene and more than 200 rescuers taking shifts are digging into the rubble.

The landslide occurred at 9 AM on Sunday at the Xiwubaihu Quarry in Baijian Town.

The trapped were believed to have been buried deep below ground, the sources said, adding there might be more than 10 kilograms of explosives also under the rubble. This has made the operation more difficult and dangerous.

Local officials said the accident was the result of a natural landslide. Five other nearby quarries have been closed for safety reasons.

(Xinhua News Agency January 15, 2008)